Help Find the Way
by Romantic Southerner
Summary: Sequel to "Things Aren't Always What They Seem". Daniel seemingly has the perfect life with someone from his past, but what happens after she points out the one thing that’s been in front of his face the whole time?
1. Trucking Through the Fog

**Title: **Help Find the Way  
**Author: **Romantic Southerner formerly known as Creative Dreamer  
**Summary: **Daniel seemingly has the perfect life with someone from his past, but what happens when she points out the one thing that's been in front of his face the whole time?  
**Disclaimer: **No matter how hard I try, _Ugly Betty_ will never be mine. I just created the woman from Daniel's past.  
**Author's Note: **_This is the sequel to "Things Aren't Always What They Seem." If you have not read that yet, please do so! I do apologize for the confusion when it comes to me abandoning my first try of posting this fic as something untitled, but after some time, a lot of consideration and the realization of how I want to go about writing this, I had to give this fic a fresh start, but I didn't want to lose my reviews and everything from the other attempt so the first chapter is just the same, but combined with chapter two like I had originally started writing it. Once again, sorry for the confusion; hopefully, you'll stay tuned for the rest! :) _

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**Chapter One  
**_Trucking through the Fog _

Daniel Meade finally was able to catch a break in his office at _Mode_. He was in the middle of a hectic day filled with countless meetings and a couple of conference calls among whatever else he had to deal with for the upcoming issue of his magazine. As much as he wanted to focus on work (which he had been), suddenly he caught himself drifting back to a certain talk he had with his fiancée, Julie Madison a few weeks ago about a certain person who was working on something at her desk.

The editor-in-chief stood by his desk as he leaned against his arm while he was looking out the window of his office. He could feel the coolness from the surface of the glass as he sighed to himself.

"How am I different when I'm around Betty?" He asked himself quietly.

He tried to piece together thoughts of why Julie would ever thing such a thing about his assistant. Daniel knew that Betty was a great girl with a huge heart and she was amazing, but she wasn't for him. He had Julie in his life. She was a successful publicist that had no intentions of screwing him for her personal gain. He knew Julie held his heart, and there was no point in letting go of the greatest thing in his life for a could-be fling…whatever with his assistant. Betty was his best friend (besides, Julie of course), and he never thought about her that way. Julie thought Daniel saw Betty as something more than that, but she was just Betty, plain and simple.

He began to chuckle to himself as he couldn't fathom the idea of how he was different around Betty, his assistant, the one person he cared about and didn't need to complicate things with. He shifted his focus from the day outside back to the surroundings in his office.

The editor-in-chief took a seat in his chair behind his desk before he started to watch Betty. She was at her desk working on his schedule from what he could tell. She was so wrapped up in what she was doing that she wasn't paying attention to her boss staring at her.

Daniel tilted his head to the side as he watched his assistant from afar. He tried to make sense of the idea that he could have feelings for Betty. The old Daniel would have already bedded his assistant and more than likely moved on to the next one in an endless cycle of being an infamous playboy, but now that Betty was in his life, that wasn't the case. She had been his guiding light from what he could tell, but being in love with her and appreciating her for the way she had gotten him to grow up were two different things, weren't they?

The younger Meade sibling gulped at the thought. He knew he loved Julie and he was thankful for Betty and her help considering if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be engaged to Julie right now. Thanks to the girl from Queens, Daniel would probably still be a bachelor with his whoring ways just like his best friend Becks. So, Betty had helped him grow in more ways than he saw for himself, but was he in love with her or cared for her more than just a friend? He wanted to laugh at the idea, but for some reason he couldn't.

All of a sudden, Betty looked up from her work and flashed him a small smile along with a little wave that she tended to do from time to time and for some reason, it made him feel different. He returned the gesture with his own little wave before he glanced down at his watch.

"Betty's just your assistant…_right_?" he asked himself out loud before he caught himself staring at her again.

At that moment with just one glance and that smile, it was like he suddenly couldn't give himself an answer without having to think about it for a longer than he should if Betty was just his assistant…or even his friend.

The work on his desk seemed harder to focus on now that he wasn't so sure of himself and the way he felt about his assistant. He recounted several times in his memory where his assistant was more of a friend and a companion than just his assistant.

"Just your assistant, right?" He repeated to himself, hoping that it would be easier to come up with an answer.

And the more Daniel tried to come up with an answer to the inevitable question or take in the information that he needed for his next meeting he couldn't. He had read the same sentence like ten times and the words began to swirl on the page.

The editor-in-chief of _Mode_ couldn't take this anymore. It was like the walls of his office all of a sudden began to close in on him. He could feel his chest tighten slightly like he couldn't breathe.

Instinctively, he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair before he called for his town car. He needed some time away from the office, to think, to make sure he could come with that answer for himself without having to strain for it.

Daniel drew in a deep breathe before he walked out of his office. He had to pass her desk. He knew she'd be there without fail just like she always was.

_Don't look at her_, he reminded himself. _Just don't. You'll give yourself away and she'll want to ask God knows how many questions._

"Uh, Betty, I am going to go out for lunch today. I'll be back before you know it…before my next meeting, I promise," he managed to get out in a calm tone.

"But Daniel…" she managed to get out, unable to finish her thought, "Um, okay."

The younger Meade noticed the confused tone in her voice with a slight twinge of concern. He couldn't help but frown at himself for leaving her hanging, but it had to be done. Looking at his assistant would be an indication of weakness on his part and he was sure that Betty being the person she was would want to help him through whatever this was.

Daniel made his way down the orange hall to the reception desk. He barely noticed the flirty smile Amanda gave him as he passed by to get to the elevators. He frantically pressed the down arrow button, hoping that it would get there sooner rather than later.

---

Finally, Daniel managed to break from to get away from his clouded thoughts at _Mode_. He drew in a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair as he was in the middle of a long walk through Central Park. Somehow walks through the park helped him think about how to handle women. And this time wasn't really different from the other times, right?

The editor-in-chief of _Mode_ had to get a grip on how he felt about his assistant. Betty was his friend and he was thankful for everything she had done for him, but there was no way she could be more than that. He had a fiancée, and he loved Julie so much that he wanted to marry her. He wanted their relationship to work more than he ever thought he could, but if it wasn't for Betty, there wouldn't be an Autumn Julie Madison in his life, not for the long haul anyway.

Daniel made his way to the Bethesda Terrance in Central Park. He could feel the warm air on his cheeks from the nice weather outside and he loved days like this in park. It was days like this where Daniel hated having to be at work, but he knew especially at this moment that ditching work was not a option.

Besides the Shakespeare Garden, this was his favorite part of the park where he felt like he could get lost in the crowd and think about whatever was on his mind. He did have some things to think about after all. Why did Julie see Betty as an issue when it came to their lives? His fiancee was never the jealous type, but why this? Why Betty? Why now?

There was no telling why the high-profile publicist felt the need to be insecure about the way Daniel was with Betty. His assistant managed to fill this spot in his life that was seemingly made empty once he and Julie parted all of those years ago. He always needed someone to keep his grounded and he appreciated the way both Julie _and_ Betty did that for him, but how in the world would his fiance see that as him seeing his assistant as something more than just that?

It was like Betty was filling the void had left behind all those years ago. That was it, Daniel saw the girl from Queens as the one who filled the void that Julie left behind. It made perfect sense.

_A void…that makes sense,_ he reasoned.

He strolled down the stairs with his hands shoved his pockets for the time being. Daniel wasn't sure why he was thinking about this now considering he had that conversation with Julie weeks ago. He missed her company, being close to her because Julie had given him the space he needed to figure out how to deal with this whole situation about Betty.

"I thought I'd find you here," a familiar voice called out from behind Daniel.

The Editor-in-Chief of _Mode_ couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice. He turned around to look at his fiancée of some time now. Julie walked over to him and looped her arm through his as they began to walk together.

"Hey, Jules," Daniel greeted as he gave her the best smile that he could under the circumstances.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she snuggled against him. "I thought you were booked solid today."

"Well, a guy's gotta eat," he mentioned nonchalantly.

"I don't see you eating," she countered with a giggle.

Daniel couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself as he realized he was empty handed. "Touché." He took his hand out of his pocket and wrapped an arm around the woman in his life. His lips grazed the side of her forehead with a kiss.

"I figured you'd spend the entire day in the office since you have countless meetings."

"Well, I was going a little stir-crazy," he sighed. "There is only so much work a guy can take."

"Come on, out with it," Julie said as she looked up at him as they walked around the waters edge of the lake at the Bethesda Terrance.

Daniel was caught off guard with her prodding. "Out with what? I just needed some fresh air."

"What are you talking about?" she pulled back from him slightly. "I said, 'come on, don't you need to eat?'." She chuckled softly to herself. "You have been in the office too long since you're beginning to hear things."

Daniel gave Julie a suspicious look, but from the look on her face, he must have been mistaken. He was sure she was questioning about the way he was being, but maybe he was putting too much thought into it. Out of habit, he took his hand out of his pocket and took Julie's hand into his.

"So, how did you find me?" he grinned, letting his guard down.

Julie laced her fingers together with Daniel's as they continued their walk. "Well, I called your office to see what you were doing for lunch, but Betty told me you stepped out. She wasn't sure where you went to, but I had a feeling it would be here."

"Mhmm.."

"What? I know you've been stressed with the magazine and all so I figured you'd be here. You do realize you become a little predictable after time," she teased with a giggle.

"Hey…" the younger Meade began to protest as he let go of her hand. He stopped in his tracks, but he then remembered who he was talking to and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"I thought so," she playfully grinned. "So, what are you in the mood for?" She asked over her shoulder as they moved toward a quieter part of the park.

Without warning, Daniel snaked his hands around Julie's waist and pulled her close, propping his head on her left shoulder. "Well, you know what I am in the mood for." His breathe grazed her ear and his voice was low.

"What are you doing?" She giggled softly as she gulped, unable to say much of anything else. She felt her knees start to buckle under her.

As much as she wanted to give in to Daniel right there, right now, it wasn't the right thing to do. Her heart began to race in her chest. She licked her lips as she could feel the heat between them through the fabric of their clothes.

"Jules…" he purred into her ear. "You _know_ you want to…" He lightly grazed her skin with his lips, placing light kisses along her neck.

Julie drew in a deep breathe and held it in briefly before exhaling slowly. "Uh…," she cleared her throat as she tried to get out of her fiancee's grasp, but wasn't having much success. She tried to ignore what he was doing to her. Between the kisses and the way his hands were searching for her bare skin, she knew if he kept this up, she was going to give in. "You know, you_ really_ don't play fair, Mr. Meade."

Daniel chuckled softly, "I just try to keep things interesting." He started to nibble on that spot on Julie's neck where he knew would make her putty in his hands. "Come on, Jules….live a little."

Julie gulped as she closed her eyes, trying to resist the urge to give in to what her fiancee…what she wanted way his mouth worked his magic on her skin, giving much needed attention to her sensitive areas was totally winning her over.

Daniel needed to see his fiancee's face. He wanted to see the look on her face, to see how open to she was to what he wanted. Did she feel the same way he did? He knew the look on her face would be tell him everything. Besides if she was apprehensive to the idea, he was sure he could convince her with his lips.

Julie wasn't sure when or how it happened, but the next thing thing she knew Daniel had engulfed her in a kiss. He was going to make sure by the time this kiss was said and done that the woman in life would not say no, not now, not in this moment.

After several seconds, he slowly pulled back from the kiss, leaving just a couple of inches between their faces. From what he could tell, she was surprised that he had withdrawn his lips from hers. He couldn't help but look into her eyes in silence as he waited to see what she was going to say.

Her eyelashes fluttered open as a look of surprise crossed her features. Julie licked her lips before she drew in a breath. She noticed the hint of a slight smirk on Daniel's face and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. She tilted her head to the side as she watched him closely without saying anything and from what she could tell, there was a look of disbelief in his eyes.

She couldn't help but return the smirk before she pulled Daniel toward her slowly. "I had you going," she giggled softly as her lips were merely centimeters from his.

Daniel gulped as he felt her warm breath on his lips but before he had a chance to respond, Julie closed the gap between them and from he could tell, he was going to get his way, but instead of returning the gesture, Jule only kissed the corner of his mouth briefly before she pulled away. His eyes widened with slight surprise. "You've got to kidding me," he muttered. It was like she was testing him which wasn't entirely fair considering this was_ his_ idea and he thought he had to convince her not the other way around.

She teased with a giggle. "You started it…"

Daniel's face tensed slightly with annoyance, but before he could say a word, Julie pressed her lips against his and this time she wasn't kidding around. He could tell that Julie had kept up her usual professional front as best she could until this very moment where she gave into her passion, the way she wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

The two of them got lost in the moment unaware of anything else around them. Nothing mattered but being together and spending so much needed us time considering how busy the two of them had been with the lastest issue of _MODE _and Julie's involvement with this huge movie project. Moments like this were seemingly harder to come by now with either one of them working late and being so caught up in their lives away from each other.

Without warning, a cellphone rang and the moment between the editor of _Mode_ and the publicist had been broken. Julie grumbled as she had to break the kiss from the man that she loved. Daniel chuckled softly to her reaction considering he knew that he had won this round. He gave her a smug smirk and without fail, Julie rolled her eyes at him before she winked at him.

"Ah, it's mine," Julie sighed as she cleared her throat and tucked some hair behind her left ear before Daniel withdrew his hand from touching her soft skin. She began to dig through her purse to find her phone.

"Autumn Julie Madison," she said as she answered her phone as she briefly glanced at Daniel. "Oh, hi."

Daniel watched her closely as she had her conversation on the phone. He couldn't tell who she was talking to, but obviously with the look on Julie's face, it must have been important. When did she start to refer to herself as Autumn _Julie _Madison? It was a nice change considering she had made it quite clear that it was just Autumn Madison.

He wondered when she made that change. Maybe he'd ask her about that later. And now that he thought about it, would Julie even add Meade to her name when they got married or would she keep it like it was? Autumn Julie Madison-Meade was seemingly a mouth fill, but maybe he could get her to drop the Madison all together. That would be nice. Something to keep in mind to ask when the time was right.

She playfully poked her fiancee in the side before she gave him a curious look since she noticed the look on his face. She held in a giggle since she was still on the phone. "Oh, right…of course."

"Who is it?" he mouthed trying to figure out who she was talking to.

The publicist shook her head and held up a finger to signal him to hold on a minute.

"That's not a problem. I'll be in touch. Bye."

Julie ended her phone call and tossed her phone into her purse before she pulled the strap up on her shoulder again. "So, what's that look on your face for?"

"What look?" He shrugged.

"That look on your face you just had. The one where you aren't with me. Like you are fae away in your own little world." Julie grinned as she reached down and took Daniel's hand into her.

He just shrugged without saying much of anything else.

Julie eyed him for a second. "Now that you've gotten _that _out of your system." She cleared her thought as she licked her lips at the memory. "Why don't we actually go grab something to eat?"

Before Daniel could object, he heard his stomach grumble. "Well, I guess I do need to eat something after all."

"Yeah, you do…we both do," Julie mentioned as she led the way.

Daniel looked down at his watch and noticed that it was getting closer to time for him to be back at the office. "Whatever it is, it needs to be something quick."

"Well, if you weren't trying to distract me," she playfully rolled her eyes, "then you would have already ate something by now."

"Of course," he mused as he noticed the way Julie was trying to act mad, but was failing miserably when it came to him, "but what's the fun in that?"

Daniel grinned as he pulled her back to him so he could wrap his arm around her waist. He held her close as they walked together. He watched her carefully as he tried to hold back a smirk, knowing that she was right.

"Oh, don't try to be all cute with me, Daniel," she groaned. "I know you're all not wanting to go back to work, but this issue of Mode is either hit or miss because of your schedule today."

She watched him carefully, knowing that he wanted to object, but she knew she was right. Julie sighed as she watched him quietly, waiting to see if he'd find something to say.

"But Jules…"

She glared at him. "You've got to get through your day and you can be rewarded for your efforts later…" She winked at him.

The Editor-in-Chief groaned as he remembered something. "Can we have a raincheck for tonight?"

The publicist looked up at him and arched an eyebrow. "A raincheck? Why?"

He sighed as his face fell, "I've been so wrapped up with work, but I forgot about about this dinner I have tonight with a cilent."

"You know what…I am not going to think about it. I better enjoy the time I have with you right now because there is no sense in me getting upset over that. Duty calls, Mr. Editor-in-Chief."

"You're too good to me, Jules." Daniel gave her a warm and kissed the side of her face as they continued their stroll in the park.

"Yeah…I am because at the end of the day, I know you're mine no matter what," she grinned. "I like having you around, besides, men like you are hard to come by."

Daniel just smiled at his finacee without saying a word. The eyes met and a silence fell between them. Moments like this weren't awkward between them. He watched her carefully as he slowly lifted a hand to her face and his thumb gently caressed her cheek. Julie drew in a deep breath before she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

"I've missed you, Jules," he whispered.

Her eyelashes fluttered open to look into his eyes. "Daniel…" she softly said as she cupped her hand around his on her cheek. "I've missed you too."

Daniel withdrew his hand from Julie's face before he took her hand into his. Julie glanced down at their hands out of habit and noticed Daniel's watch. "Okay, we better get going or we're never going to grab a bit to eat."

He chuckled softly. "You never give up, do you?"

"I didn't give up on you, did I?" She smiled as she lead the way. "Besides, I am sure that Betty thinks I kidnapped you."

_Betty,_ he groaned inwardly, hoping Julie wouldn't notice the way he felt at that moment, _the reason why I am here in the first place…._


	2. Expect the Unexpected

**Author's Note:** _So I combined the first two chapters for the sake of plot and getting back into the habits of writing my typically longer chapters. When it comes to plot and events that happened with the show's span, some things in this fic are mentioned even though they happened under different circumstances so please keep that in mind. You'll see what I mean. ;) I know it seems like I am never to go update as often as I should, but finding time to write since I work in retail is seemingly impossible for now so please bear with me. Special thanks to clueless1der for letting me be her beta and in turn being mine. So with all that being said, enjoy! :) _

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**Chapter Two  
**_Expect the Unexpected_

After grabbing a couple of sandwiches and two sodas to go, Julie and Daniel had made their way back to the Meade Publications building. The two of them were waiting in front of the elevators in the lobby,

"Now remind me again why you decided to come back with me to the office," Daniel said as he watched Julie who was sipping on the last of her drink.

"What do you mean?" Julie grinned as she glanced at him before she threw away her cup in the trash can closest the elevator.

"I thought you had a busy schedule yourself," he reminded as he arched an eyebrow.

The editor-in-chief of _Mode _knew that his high-profile publicist counterpart had mentioned an assortment of projects that she was going to be working or were actually working on. He couldn't remember the time frame for any of them at the moment considering he had so much on his plate right now for the magazine, but he knew the time for them to share together was limited. So for her to volunteer to go back to the office with him didn't make much sense.

"So maybe I do, but it's not like I'll be seeing my fiancée later today by the looks of things. Do you know where he is by any chance?" She wondered as she glanced at him before she looked over his shoulder at the entrance of the building.

"Isn't he is that editor-in-chief of some boring magazine?" He snickered before he cleared his throat to play along.

"Well, if you mean the most successful fashion magazine of all time then maybe. I guess that's him, but for whatever reason, you're better looking than he is…" Julie smirked as she shrugged her shoulders slightly, concealing a smile.

"Is that so?" Daniel pursed his lips together as he watched her, waiting to see where she went with this.

Julie tilted her head to the side as she pressed her lips together, deep in thought. "You could say that. You remind me of this guy I used to know in college."

"Really?"

"Yep, he was some hot-shot prick that I snubbed more times than I can count." She said effortlessly without missing a beat, glancing down at her nails before lightly run them against her shoulder.

Julie laughed as she tried to keep up with her little game, fighting the urge to look up at Daniel with that silly smile on his face, trying to be all serious.

Before she could stop laughing, the elevator doors opened and some people filed out, but surprisingly, they had the elevator to themselves.

The two of them made their way into the waiting elevator. Without fail, Daniel leaned over and pressed the button for the 28th floor.

"Ouch…that sucks to be him." Daniel frowned at the description of his former self back in their days at Harvard.

"But at least you aren't him, right?" Julie grinned warmly as she eyed him from where she stood.

"That's true. If that be the case, I am sure you would have decked me by now." Daniel chuckled to himself as he tucked his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"I've thought about it actually but what kind of woman would that make me? A cynical 'Ice Princess'? Eh, I'd like to think I've grown out of that phase of my life."

Daniel continued to chuckle softly. "Well, that's nice to know. At least time's been good to you."

"Like you would know…how?" She gave him a curious look as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, maybe it's because I am the luckiest guy in the world to have you in my life." Daniel spoke honestly as he flashed her a smile.

"Daniel Meade, you've always been such a charmer," she sighed with a grin as she moved closer to where he stood.

"I thought that's what you liked best about me." Daniel mentioned smugly as he took out of his right pocket and runs it along Julie's arm.

"It's a part of it, but not entirely…"

"Then what is it?" Daniel was intrigued. What was going on in Julie's head with the way she said?

"I am not sure how to put it…"

Before Julie could finish her thought the elevator dinged as it stopped on the 28th floor.

Daniel reached down to grab Julie's hand, but instead she resisted, stepping back and removing her hand from his reach..

A bewildered look took over Daniel's features as Julie just stood there and shook her head slightly without saying a word.

"I thought you were coming with me…" he pouted slightly with his bright blue eyes and a seemingly irresistible puppy dog look. He held the door open, hoping she would accompany him to his office.

"Well, as much as I want to and know I should considering I won't see you again until God knows when, I've got to get going."

"And you wasted time just to see me?" Daniel gave a satisfied smirk.

"Not entirely …" she countered.

"But?"

"I've got to be at a meeting on the top floor," she casually mentioned as she leaned over and pressed the button for the top floor.

"But that's Mom's office."

"I know."

"You have a meeting with my mother and didn't you tell me?" Daniel asked, confused.

"You got it, Mr. Editor-in-Chief." She giggled as she leaned over and gave her fiancée a quick kiss. "And if you don't move your foot, I am going to be late."

"Oh, sorry," he sheepishly said, removing his foot from the door without thinking.

The elevator closed and Daniel cursed under his breath for not telling the woman in his life good bye.

---

The doors to the elevator opened as she stepped out and made her way to office of the one who was in charge of all of Meade Publications. It reminded her of the first time she came up to the office to talk to Bradford about how the Hollywood has turned out after its release, but now things had definitely changed since then.

A lot of things had happened in the past year with the Meade family. Bradford had passed away last fall from a heart attack when he had arrived early at work one morning. It was an evitable to happen to Bradford with the way he was, but it was untimely none the less for the Meades as well as the company he built from scratch.

No one really expected Bradford to leave Meade Publications to Claire with her tarnished reputation, but after careful consideration with the way their children tended to be, he felt it was only fitting that she was in charge of the company until the two of them could work together as equals or at least being civil to each other while one of them ran the company.

Julie took a deep breath before she made her way into Claire's office. She cleared her throat before she spoke. "Claire, I am sorry I am late," the publicist offered as she watched her soon-to-be mother-in-law was looking over some paperwork.

"Oh, Julie," Claire set aside her paperwork and looked up with a smile. "Actually you're right on time. I see you managed to get away from my son."

Julie chuckled. "It wasn't easy considering we are talking about Daniel but with his busy schedule today, I knew he'd have to get back to the office."

Claire clasped her hands together before she laid them on the surface of the desk to look at the woman in her son's life. She looked at the publicist across from her carefully.

"I am sure you are wondering why I asked you here, Julie."

"Well, I hadn't forgotten that you asked me to come, Claire, but I will say that the look on Daniel's face when you called earlier amused me."

"Ah, I should have known when I called and you said your full name, dear," she grinned.

"Don't worry about it. But now that you mentioned it, I have been wondering why you asked me here."

"At this time of year, I am normally putting together _MODE_'s Black and White Ball, but now that I oversee all of the magazines at Meade, my hands are full," she sighed.

With Claire now running Meade, she wasn't used to being in charge of so many different aspects of the company besides keeping an eye on her children at _Mode_, but now with her and Bradford's agreement that she was to take care of their company, she couldn't help but ask for help with at least one aspect of the business.

Julie noticed the look of stress on the Meade matriarch's face. "Right, I remember how spectacular last year's Ball was," she mentioned with a bright smile.

"Normally, I can handle things like this on my own, but under the circumstances with this year, I am hoping you'd lend me a hand with planning this year's Ball. Besides, I think it's only fitting that since you're engaged to the Editor-in-Chief that you get used to taking care of events like this," Claire offered as she sat up in her chair, propped an elbow on her desk, resting a hand under her chin.

"Oh, I'd love to. I need all of the practice I can get," Julie chuckled as she tucked her hand behind her ear.

The publicist was surprised by Claire's offer considering she had this impression that even though she said in the background, she was the backbone of the family and needed little to no help with keeping everything running smoothly. She was grateful for this opportunity considering all of the obligations that come with being a part of the Meade family.

"And I am sure you could come up with some ideas about how to raise more money for this year's charities," Claire offered warmly.

"Well, now that you mention it, a silent auction could be very beneficial for an event like this," Julie reasoned.

With Julie's expertise, it only made sense that she would have a knack for thinking up ideas to better _Mode_ as well as the company as a whole. It was a nice start for how Julie would fit into the Meade family as well as the public image they strived to uphold.

Claire gave her an intrigued look as she took in Julie's suggestion. A silent auction that would bring in more money as well as more positive publicity for the magazine and the company would be perfect.

"You're a natural," Claire commended. "I think this is a wonderful idea. Well, the Black and White Ball will happen in about a month's time so I hope it's enough time for you to get things together for the auction."

"If I can put together two covers for _MODE_ in basically two week's time then I would think this would be a piece of cake," Julie chuckled.

Claire grinned. "Of course, you're an old pro."

The mother of the Meade siblings appreciated Julie's enthusiasm for helping her with _Mode_'s main event of the season. It was nice to know that the Ball wouldn't be lost in the midst of the keeping tabs on over twenty-something magazines. Besides, planning events like this was right up Julie's alley. She did work in Hollywood after all.

"I'll do my best," she sighed. "Now I don't mean to pry, Claire, but how is the company doing as a whole? I know, Daniel has mentioned how you've been stressed lately with everything."

"Oh, it's nothing I can't handle," Claire clarified. "It's just been an adjustment is all. I've been doing this for almost a year now with running the company; it just gets to me sometimes."

"Ah," Julie noted the response the president of Meade Publications had given her. She gave her a warm smile. "You know, maybe for the sake of your children because I know they both worry about you and quite frankly, I do as well, maybe you should look into getting a CFO for the company. That would help balance out your attention to the company as a whole as well as freeing up some time to spend with Daniel and Alexis."

The publicist cleared her throat, hoping her future mother-in-law would not take offense to what she has suggested. She could tell that Claire had been under some stress within the past several months, but she knew Daniel and Alexis had considered talking to their mother about it, but she wasn't sure when or if the two of them ever would.

Claire took in a deep breath as she pressed her lips together, studying the look on Julie's face. She knew her son's fiancée was probably saying something Daniel would more than likely never say. She could tell that Julie was being sincere and knew that what she was saying was right. Bradford had been running this company for years and he could make decisions without putting much thought into them, but Claire felt like she had to consider a lot of different aspects that would not only affect the company but her children's futures as well.

"I hope I am not stepping on your toes," Julie offered as the silence between them had thickened. She began to nibble on her bottom lip slightly, hoping the woman behind her desk wouldn't notice.

"Of course not, Julie," Claire reassured. "I do have a lot on my plate and I knew that I would when Bradford and I had talked about our plan, but I just didn't expect it to happen so suddenly like it did."

Claire looked back on her talks with Bradford over the issue when he and Alexis were making amends once Bradford had learned about his worsening heart condition even though he must have kept the severity of it to himself for the most part since he started to make plans for how things should be once he was gone. She just never imagined it would be so soon after they agreed to how things would be handled.

Julie could see the pain in her eyes at the memories must have unfolded as she spoke.

"I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Don't worry about it. Please don't mention this to Daniel or Alexis until I get to talk to them about this first, but I am in the middle of talks with someone to become CFO with Meade," she mentioned.

"Oh, my lips are sealed."

"Good. Didn't you and Daniel go to college with a Connor Owens?"

Julie thought about the name and it did seem vaguely familiar to her, but she wasn't exactly sure.

"He graduated from Harvard around the time you and Daniel did," Claire informed, hoping to jog Julie's memory.

"Connor Owens, was it?" Julie repeated before she paused. "Ah, Connor, I haven't seen him in years." A smile crept across her face with realization.

Claire noticed the expression on Julie's face but didn't say anything about it.

"I am still in talks with him, but before I make my decision final, I'd like to talk to Daniel and Alexis about it."

"Of course, it's only fair."

"I actually have another meeting with him today."

"Well, I won't keep you then. I do need to take care of a couple of things before I head back to my office and tie up some loose ends there."

Julie rose from her chair and grabbed her purse from the empty chair beside hers. She tucked some hair behind her ear as she gave Claire a warm smile.

"Thank you for asking me to help you with the Black and White Ball."

Claire smiled as she rose from her chair. "Julie, it's not a problem. Thank you for agreeing to help me. We'll get together later this week to start planning."

She came around from behind her desk to walk Julie to the elevator.

"I can't wait." Julie grinned as two of them made their way out of Claire's office and to the elevators.

"We'll get together and have lunch or something. We've got so much to plan. I just want everything to be perfect."

"I understand, Claire. I just hope that I can help you make the Ball be as wonderful as it has been in years past."

---

Daniel just finished up with his last meeting as he walked the photographer for this issue of _Mode_ to the elevators. They shared some pleasant chatter before the elevator arrived and the two of them shook hands.

Even though, Daniel's day at the office was done he knew he had to meet up with one of the soon-to-be key advertisers for a business dinner that Betty had set up for him a couple of days ago. He had forgotten that it was set up during his meeting day or if he would have realized, he was sure he would have gotten his bubbly assistant from Queens to reschedule this meeting for another day, but it was too late now.

As the editor-in-chief of _Mode_ made his way back to his office, he noticed his assistant on the phone. He stood behind her silently as he watched her as he had his hands behind his back.

"Okay, yes ma'am. Of course, I'll let Daniel know that you called to confirm your meeting for tonight," Betty said as she turned to see her boss walking toward her desk. She flashed him a full smile before she concluded her conversation. "Yes, thank you for calling. Bye."

Daniel cleared his throat and gave his assistant a curious look without saying a word. Now was the first time since he got back to the office where he finally had a chance to watch her. He appreciated the way she was still upbeat even though today had been a long day for the two of them. He noticed that she had to have been working on the next day's schedule from what was on her computer screen as well as her sticky note system on the planner that sat on top of her desk.

Betty looked up as she placed the phone back on its base and noticed her boss was looking at her. She tilted her head to the side as she watched him and wondered what he was doing.

"Oh, Daniel, hi, I see you're done with your meeting," Betty grinned as she flashed him one of her full smiles.

"Well, here at the office anyway…" he grumbled

"Right…actually, that was Cameron Elliot on the phone. She just called to confirm that she would meet you at the restaurant." She pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose as she looked at him, ignoring his tone. "I've got a town car waiting on you to take you to your apartment to freshen up so you can be at the restaurant by the top of the hour."

"Thank you…"

"It's not a problem," she continued on with her cheery disposition before she crossed her arms against her chest and looked at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Betty, not the look…not tonight," Daniel sighed.

"Daniel, you _have_ to go to this meeting. It's important to the magazine considering _Mode _is her first choice to advertise with, but if you want me to call Alexis and ask her to go in your place then I can do that right now…" Betty mentioned as she reached over to her phone and began to dial Alexis' extension.

The editor-in-chief quickly moved as he placed his hand over his assistant's hand that was already on the receiver and hung up the phone. "No, I wouldn't want that. I can only imagine how that would go."

"Don't be a baby about it. This is just a part of your job. If you think this is bad now, I can only imagine how your mother juggles her schedule dealing with twenty-two magazines." She eyed him again.

"Okay, fine. You win, I'll go," Daniel conceded.

He went into his office to grab his coat. "You know, Betty, you're playing hard ball today," he called out as he slipped into it.

Betty grinned as she leaned over in her chair to look into his office. "Hey, I just trying to keep you focused. I know this week's been tough on you, Daniel, but once this issue is done, you know it will be worth it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he reasoned as he came out of his office. "And now that you're done with this semi-pep talk, you are free to go." He gave her a smile.

"It's about time," she joked as she continued to work on the next day's schedule.

"I think you've earned a break," Daniel winked.

Betty just smiled as she rolled her eyes at him. "Get going or you are going to be late."

"Okay, okay, I am going," he said as he threw his hands up in defeat. "You need to do the same."

"I will, I just need to finish this up. Fifteen minutes tops," Betty promised as she saved what she had been working on.

"If you say so…"

"Daniel, I will."

"As I was saying, if not, make sure to get a town car to take you home," Daniel offered as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

Betty grinned as she looked. "Aren't you going to go?" She started to gather her things together so she could leave.

Daniel shook his hand and laughed. "Leaving." He chuckled as he started to walk toward the tunnel hallway. "Have a good evening, Betty."

"Same to you, Daniel. Good luck with your meeting."

Daniel took in a deep breath as he made his way down the hall way. He pictured that look on Betty's face as he tried to weasel his way out of the meeting with this woman…Cameron Elliot. He remembered the way her eyes seemingly pierced into his with her all-judging look and he remembered one of the first times she had given him that look in her butterfly costume during her first few months with _Mode_. It made him chuckle to himself at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Alexis asked as she caught her brother off guard on his way to the elevators.

"It's nothing," he assured. "What are you still doing here?"

"Well, someone's gotta be the glue that keeps this magazine together," she teased. "Actually, I am in the middle of looking over the numbers for the last issue. I know Mom mentioned that she wanted to meet with us tomorrow to talk about the company."

"Oh, right, I remember Betty mentioning that."

He grumbled to himself for forgetting the paperwork that he needed to look over, but now that he thought about it, he remembered seeing it on his desk front and center for him to look over first thing in the morning. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The older Meade sibling couldn't help but roll her eyes at her younger brother. "And where are you heading off to?"

"My meeting with Cameron Elliot…you know the advertiser…?" He was now walking backwards toward the elevator, facing his sister as he spoke.

"Cameron Elliot? Um, okay." Alexis gave him a curious look with a raised eyebrow as she stopped her tracks.

"Yeah, she's the one who wanted to do some advertising with us. She arranged the meeting with Betty for tonight. Oh come, Alexis, I know you can't be that out of the loop when it comes to what I do to keep the magazine going."

Alexis was silent for a few seconds but didn't really say much of anything after that.

"I don't have time to waste, I've got to go to my apartment to change and be at the restaurant within the hour." Daniel mentioned again as he made it to elevators without embarrassment. He blindly pressed the down button on the wall. "So I need to go, but we'll talk before the meeting with mom, okay?"

"Yeah, not a problem, Daniel."

He turned back to face the reflective surface of the elevator doors, waiting impatiently for the elevator to arrive. With thoughts of Betty's persistence of getting him to go to this meeting as well as a mixture of dread, he knew this meeting was either going to be a total bust or was an automatic homerun.

He let out a heavy sigh as the elevator doors finally opened and he stepped into the waiting elevator.


	3. For Your Own Good

**Author's Note: **_Long time no update. I know and I truly sorry. Between work and my new love for NCIS, I've been a bit distracted, but at least I am finally getting you guys an update. It's been a long time coming and I hope you like it. It's more so of a filler chapter, but I promise that things will pick up with chapter four. Now if I could only find the time to write it. Once again sorry for the wait. Hopefully it won't take me three months to write the next chapter. Also, special thanks to clueless1der for letting me be her beta and in turn being mine. Shutting up now....enjoy!_

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Chapter Three  
**_For Your Own Good_

After sifting through his closet, debating between pinstripes and solids, and wearing a tie or not, Daniel finally made a decision to go with his black and white pinstripe suit a purple shirt and no tie. It took him what seemed like forever to make a decision over what to wear. He hadn't felt like that since that night he and Julie had dinner after their first meeting at _Mode_, which was crazy considering he shouldn't have been so worried about it especially with the way things had turned out, but this meeting with this Cameron Elliot made him feel on edge for whatever reason he couldn't put his finger on.

Betty's persistence made him feel uneasy about it, but for whatever reason, he knew he had to go whether it was out of obligation or guilt. He couldn't figure out why he felt this way, but he knew it had to done regardless of how he felt. The way she could look at him and make him cave was something that got under his skin. He hated how he felt like he had to do all he could not to disappoint his assistant, but the rewards of when she would smile at him made him feel proud.

And Daniel wondered where these thoughts of Betty came from as he sat in the back of his town car, heading to one of the high end restaurants in Manhattan that was one of his father's favorites. He couldn't figure out why that random thought popped into his mind, but he couldn't help but smile at the memories he created with the rest of the family during the last few months of his father's life. Somehow the Meades managed to become the family they should have been during the duration of Bradford's life.

"Mr. Meade?" the driver of the town car said as the car came to a stop at the entrance of the restaurant, "We've arrived."

"Oh," Daniel said quietly as he looked down at this watch and noticed it was after eight and he was late for this meeting. He thanked the driver before he stepped out of the car.

He glanced up at the night sky and noticed it was a little chilly for an early fall night in New York. Daniel made his way into the fancy restaurant where he walked up to the maître d' podium. He stood there quietly for a few moments as he waited for someone to appear.

"Ah, Mr. Meade," the man in a dark suit greeted, "your table is ready for you, and Ms. Elliot is waiting for you." The man led Daniel to his table.

"Thank you," Daniel smiled when he was close to the table and nodded once when the maître d' pointed in the direct of the table.

The editor-in-chief noticed a woman sitting at his table with her back toward him. He gulped before he made his way to their table. He was going to say something, but stopped himself at the moment he realized that she held the menu close to her face and he couldn't get a look at the woman he had this meeting with. And before he had a chance to speak, a waiter came by their table with their drink order.

Daniel nodded at the waiter and he placed their drinks on the table and left as quickly as he appeared. He noticed that his usual scotch on the rocks was in reach and he was surprised by that considering he rarely came to this restaurant especially after Bradford's passing.

His eyes glanced across the table to the woman was seemingly engrossed in the menu and he cleared his throat hoping to get her attention.

The mysterious woman finally pulled the menu down to where Daniel could see her face, but surprisingly enough the woman was wearing sunglasses and it wasn't until she reached over toward her drink, but instead of picking up the glass to take a sip, he watched her pick up one of the two maraschino cherries from her martini glass and carefully placed it into her mouth before she sucked on it briefly before she pulled the stem from the cherry and placed it strategically by the bottom of her glass.

"Um, Ms. Elliot?" Daniel asked her quietly with an arched eyebrow.

Now was not the time to be weak about meeting with a client but from what he had seen of this woman which wasn't much, he thought she going to be difficult to deal with.

Cameron Elliot met his gaze as she looked up at him with a small smirk on her face without saying anything.

Her silence was going to kill Daniel and instinctively he picked up his glass of scotch and took a much needed sip. This was going to be a long night from what he could tell.

"I am sorry they didn't have your favorite brand of scotch, Daniel, but I thought that would be next best thing," she said in a matter of fact way.

"Well, it's not terrible, but it will do," he answered out of habit with the familiarity of the voice he heard.

He took another sip of his scotch without thinking before he almost choked on his drink as he realized that the voice was beyond recognizable.

The woman couldn't help but snicker at Daniel's predicament as she removed her sunglasses and placed them back in her purse.

"J---Julie?" Daniel finally spoke as he stared at his fiancée on the other side of the table in the restaurant.

"What?" she looked at him innocently like there was nothing going on. "Can I not have dinner with you?" She gave him a look of shock before she tried not to break into a fit of giggles.

"You don't have to play games," He glared at her.

"No, this wasn't my idea. And you know, Daniel if you weren't so busy, you would have noticed that this dinner wasn't tacked onto your schedule until this morning when that assistant of yours made these reservations and mentioned her idea to me when I called looking for you during lunch."

Daniel gave her a confused look.

Julie shook her head as she continued. "Don't you dare blame this on me. Betty noticed that you've been at work more than anywhere else lately and she thought that giving you a free night would do you some good. Besides, she thought you deserved this as a reward for working so hard lately."

"And who's Cameron Elliot?"

"You know damn well who Cameron Elliot is, Daniel. You've met her and everything."

"How?" He looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"What is up with the Meade men being like this? I am glad your mother warned me about this," she giggled. "Um, Cameron Elliot is _my_ assistant."

She gave him a few seconds and she watched him as it started to sink in.

"Oh," he laughed. "Cameron Elliot…that explains why Alexis thought I was crazy earlier."

Without fail, that made Julie laugh. "I honestly thought you would have seen through this because between using Cameron's name and seeing our normal drink order arrive at the table."

"Well, I did think it was weird how a total stranger knew what I liked," the editor-in-chief mused. "A Manhattan with two cherries should have tipped me off."

"It should have, but it obviously didn't," Julie smirked before she reached down for her Manhattan and took a sip from the glass.

"So, you had no part in conspiring this, Jules?"

She gave him a 'you've got to be kidding me' look as she arched an eyebrow at him. "Um, like I told you, I was asked to play along and you have no idea how much I appreciate Betty for fitting me into your schedule, Mr. Editor-in-Chief." Julie said after she licked her lips. "I know it's been a while since we've had a date night, but come on, Daniel. I really should thank Betty considering I should have thought of something like this sooner."

"Has it really been that bad?" Daniel gulped.

Now that he thought about it, the two of them hadn't seen much of each other recently between some late nights at the office with Betty working on the magazine as well as Julie's long hours at RSM that their schedules sometimes didn't allow them to have a free night for each other.

"Well, we haven't seen each other like this in a while. Between my work and yours, time for us hasn't happened much lately." Julie pressed her lips together as she stared at him. "I basically 'kidnapped' you for lunch, remember?" she giggled.

"Well, not really…"

"And who else would steal you away from a crazy day at the office, but me?" She eyed him across the table.

"Um, but you didn't actually…"

"Do you really think Betty believed that when you got back to the office? That it was some chance meeting? It's not my fault you're predictable," she teased with a wink, "but you know as well as I do that it looked like I kidnapped you. It might have been a little 'botched', but I call it as I would assume everyone else saw it."

All Daniel did was shake his head and chuckle to himself. "You worry too much, Jules."

"It's just a part of my job, Daniel. I have to cover people's asses and watch out for what's best for their image and you, my charming yet seemingly naïve fiancée, must have forgotten how _I_ kept our engagement under wraps for a long period of time especially during Fashion Week where it is seemingly impossible to keep you out of the public eye as well as my left hand with the ring you gave me."

She lifted her left hand so the light would hit the ring just right to make the diamonds sparkle to remind him of how flashy the token of his love for her was.

Daniel cleared his throat and took a deep breathe. "It wasn't that hard…you know."

"And I am supposed to believe that how?" She arched an eyebrow at him, holding back a giggle.

"You know, Jules, it wasn't hard. In fact if it wasn't for Marc and Amanda, I am sure we could have eloped by now and no one would have known," the Meade bachelor smirked. He leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"And as much as the idea of eloping is suppose to turn me on, Mr. Meade, I'd like to think that since I am my mother's only daughter, she'd kill me if I didn't give her the pleasure of having some fancy wedding that she can get excited over," she tilted her side to stare at him as she absentmindedly ran her fingertip along the rim of her martini glass.

They both knew that as easy as it sounded to elope, it didn't make much sense considering the obligations both had with Daniel being a Meade and the Madison family being so well-known in Boston. It might have been easier on the two of them to take the easy way out, but with the way the press was all about knowing what the next move was in their relationship, it was tough to deal with the hassle.

"Besides, at the rate our lives are going with all things considered, I'd like to think we could actually have time for ourselves when the time is right to get married. _MODE_ is booming more than ever thanks to your genius and I don't see my career slowing down long enough to fit in a wedding and a honeymoon. And the idea of eloping…what would that be like, Daniel? Let's get married on Friday, have a weekend getaway for a quickie honeymoon and come back Monday morning to fall back into our normal routines? What's the fun in that?" Julie reasoned before she picked up her drink and took a sip.

The editor-in-chief couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as he realized his publicist fiancée wasn't bitter about just being engaged, but he did miss seeing Julie and spending time with her. He knew that she was one of the best publicists out there and her work kept her tied up the majority of time.

"Well, you are right since you put it that way," Daniel chuckled. "I don't think I could go a week without being involved with the magazine in some way, shape, or form; and I don't see you giving up your Blackberry any time soon."

Daniel smiled at Julie before he took a sip of scotch. He appreciated her understanding. And now that he thought about it, it was like the two of them were married to their careers.

"Come to think of it, Mr. Meade, I think you owe that fiancée of yours something major considering within the past week, you've only seen her for a total of six hours," she mentioned as she glanced down at her nails.

When Julie got into moods like this, it was amusing to hear her get all formal with Daniel and talk about herself in third person because she knew she could get him to laugh. She didn't dare look up at the man in front of her because she knew she'd crack before she was able to make her point.

Daniel narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the woman cross the table before he chuckled softly. "Is that so? And what would you suggest?"

"I don't know what to tell you, sir, but I am sure you'll think of something," Julie giggled softly when she noticed Daniel's baby blues looking at her.

"_Sir_…Julie?"

"What?" She innocently looked up at him. "It's not my place to come up with an answer."

The editor-in-chief of _Mode_ leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, looking at publicist across the table with an amused look. "You're a piece of work."

"And you love me for it," she countered with a smirk.

He couldn't help but laugh at her reply. He knew she was right so there was no point in coming up a witty response. With the way things were between them now, who would have thought that these two had a rough start?

"Besides, I'll get to see you more now considering your mom wants me to help her plan the Black and White Ball."

"Mom asked you to help? She always does that herself," Daniel stated, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, that may be true, but she hasn't been the CEO over the entire Meade empire before either," she countered.

There was no doubt that Daniel knew his mother was a pillar of strength, but he sometimes forgot that Claire needed a helping hand. The Meade family had been through a lot in the past year, and he was sure that the Black and White Ball would be a welcome distraction for his mother to help her get through the grief of losing Bradford under the usual circumstances, but now that his mother was overseeing Meade Publications, it did put a spin on things.

"Ah," Daniel conceded, "That's definitely true."

"Claire mentioned that it's only fair that I help her out considering that some day this task will be passed on to me."

He smiled at the thought. "Yeah, it's only fitting. I don't think mom wants to throw you in the deep end. She just wants to make sure you see how things need to be done and what not and obviously, I am not good with the details."

Daniel couldn't help but feel proud of the two most important women in his life working side-by-side. He was thankful that Julie got along with his mother and that there was no bitterness between them. The Meade son knew that his fiancée was a welcome addition to his family.

"Just so you know, I'll do whatever I can to make sure that the check isn't too big and that it will be blue so it doesn't wash you out and it will even make your eyes pop," she grinned. "Is there any other requests that I need to be aware of, Daniel?"

After all of their time together, moments like this reminded Julie why she loved her amazing fiancée and the way he was. She smiled at him as she reached out and placed her hand over his on the table.

"How did you…?"

The editor-in-chief of one of the most popular magazines of all-time sometimes forgot how his publicist fiancée was when it came to him.

"This is me you're talking to," she reminded as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. She shook her head in amusement without saying anything else.

"Uh, not that I can think of," he said sheepishly as he noticed the look on Julie's face.

"You never cease to amaze me. I hope you know that considering sometimes I think I know you better than you know yourself," Julie mentioned as she winked at him.

All he could do was smile at her response.

"So, what's this I hear about you having a meeting with your mom tomorrow?" She let go of his hand so she could reach over for her drink.

"She mentioned that to you, huh? I almost forgot about that. Alexis mentioned that before I left the office to come here."

"I heard about it in passing." She shrugged as she took a sip from her glass.

"I know Alexis said it had something to do with the company. Mom wanted to discuss something with us both. I didn't get a chance to go over the reports since Betty was shooing me out of the office to get here on time, so I'll have to look over everything in the morning."

Even though Alexis and Julie had a rough start with the whole Hollywood issue fiasco, the publicist managed to make the best of what she had been dealt; and through it all, Julie had been by his side through everything he had been through over the past year. Daniel appreciated how Julie was the person who he could lean on for support through any challenge that he had to deal with. Somehow his sister and the woman that he loved managed to be civil to each other for the sake of Daniel and he thought that they were warming up to each other. It was just a long process when it came to Julie and the way she was with people. He learned that a lot of time ago at Harvard.

"At least make it look like you are aware of what's going on before you walk into that meeting. I don't' think Claire would appreciate how you took her request lightly," she mentioned as she eyed him over her martini glass.

"I will. I have to. I don't think I could handle Mom and Alexis gaining up on me." He said before he cleared his throat.

Julie chuckled at the thought. "You'll manage. If Betty has anything to do with it, you'll know what's going on before the meeting." She smiled as a reminder.

Before Daniel had a chance to respond, a waiter come to the table and asked if they were ready to order. Julie couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she noticed their menus hadn't moved since the waiter placed them there when she arrived.

"Could we have a few more minutes?"

"Sure, not a problem…ma'am," the waiter said with a nod before leaving their table.

"See what you do to me?" Julie giggled.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked as he looked over at her with an innocent look on his face.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him for him playing dumb. "Daniel, we've been sitting here for over thirty minutes now. I think it's their way of telling us or order or get out."

"Well, since we're here and I am hungry. Aren't you? I guess we should order something."

"You think, Mr. Editor-in-Chief?" Julie quipped as she glared at him across the table.

He chuckled to himself softly before he raised his menu to see what he wanted for dinner on this seemingly rare occasion with the woman in his life.

"Like I said, Jules, you know you love it…"


End file.
